Sam Wiebe is onw of my favorite interviews on the blog. We first met when we shared a table at the Shamus Award banquet in Raleigh in 2015. Since then we’ve stayed in touch personally, and Sam has become one of the handful of writers whose books I will buy just because they came out.
His newest entry is Ocean
Drive.
One Bite at a Time: Welcome back to the blog, Sam. I
always look forward to seeing you here.
Your newest book, Ocean Drive, is a departure for you
in a couple of ways we’ll get into as we go. First, and most obvious, it’s not
a private eye book. What sent you in this new direction?
Sam Wiebe: I wanted to write about the Washington-B.C. border,
where you have sleepy towns like White Rock that also happen to be the site of
transnational criminal enterprises. The novel investigates that from the point
of view of a cop, Megan Quick, on the outside looking in, and a recently
paroled killer, Cameron Shaw, who’s inside and trying to get out.
OBAAT: I got to the end of Ocean Drive and
thought, “Oooo. A series,” as you’re as good as anyone I know at keeping a
series fresh. Two questions here: Was I right about Ocean Drive being
the pilot for a series? How do keep a series fresh while still touching all the
bases people love about it?
SW: I love a good series. With Wakeland, there’s
infinite inspiration because the Pacific Northwest is constantly changing. I
don’t know if Ocean Drive will continue in that way, but I think it
would make a swell TV show…(Editor’s Note: Oh, yeah.)
OBAAT: Your PI books are in the traditional PI first
person; Ocean Drive alternates POV by chapter. Is one or the other
easier or harder for you? What do you see as the advantages or disadvantages
for the kinds of stories you write?
SW: First person has a tighter focus but a fuller
expression of voice, whereas with third person you can put voices in
conversation with each other. Megan’s chapter can end on a cliffhanger, and
then Cam’s can pick up at the same point or earlier.
OBAAT: You’ve said that Ross MacDonald’s Lew Archer
books are more about revelation than resolution. I see some of that in Ocean
Drive. Who else influenced you in writing this book?
SW: An agent compared Cam’s voice in Ocean Drive
to the Springsteen song “Straight Time.” That was nice to hear. I really like
the way Richard Stark/Donald Westlake shifts point of view in the Parker
novels. And Attica Locke’s Bluebird Bluebird is really great in terms of
a law enforcement character who’s out of step with the others in their
profession.
OBAAT: A personal, for me, question: Have we seen the
last of Dave Wakeland? I hope not, but I also understand how authors’ interests
evolve.
SW: Nope! The Last Exile is out this spring.
The PI genre is my favorite by far. It’s the closest to
literature and the closest to real life—at least when it’s done well.
OBAAT: The Beloved Spouse™ and I are returning to
Bouchercon in New Orleans this September. Do you have your schedule set up for
the year? Where can folks find you, either in person or online?
SW:. At samwiebe.substack.com I write a
newsletter a few times a month, mostly reviewing old crime films and novels. samwiebe.com
is my website. I also write under the pen name Nolan Chase, and the second
Ethan Brand novel, A Lonesome Place for Murder, comes out this summer.
Thanks, Dana! Best to you and Corky.
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